Socio-Economics & History Commentary

French President Emmanuel Macron Sets Sights on Being Leader of the Free World

Macron election victory speech hands up under eye of pyramid.

French President Emmanuel Macron Sets Sights on Being Leader of the Free Worldby JAMES MCAULEY, The Washington Post, via https://www.thestar.com/Nearing 100 days in office, Macron’s key ambition seems to be casting himself as a master negotiator in a new world where all roads lead to Paris.–PARIS—Emmanuel Macron is a master of persuasion.In his youth, he seduced his married high school drama teacher, the woman who is now his wife. In middle age, with no government experience, he cajoled a sitting president into giving him a coveted cabinet position. Then — with no support from any established political party — he dazzled a nation, becoming, at 39, the youngest-ever president of France, a country where tradition is a way of life.–Nearly 100 days into Macron’s presidency, there are already indications that the French are increasingly skeptical of their new president. While a majority still approve of him, Macron’s initially sky-high approval rating dropped by 10 per cent this month, mostly because of his refusal to back down on commitments to slash government spending. He has also come under fire for failing to aid migrants, sparred with France’s chief military officer, who later resigned, and pushed to expand the state’s powers to fight terrorism in ways that critics fear will permanently curtail civil liberties.–read more.

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France’s President Emmanuel Macron, left, welcomes Libya’s Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj of the U.N.-backed government at the Chateau of the La Celle-Saint-Cloud, west of Paris, France, Tuesday, July 25, 2017. President Emmanuel Macron is hosting a meeting of the two main rival leaders of chaotic Libya, trying to play peacemaker in a country where the stakes are high for both Europe and Africa. Michel Euler AP Photo. Click on image for article.